Posted By Andrew Michler On November 16, 2010 @ 8:00 pm In Architecture,Daylighting,Sustainable Building | No Comments

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This striking new tower in the town of Irun, Spain features a double skin[2] and series of rooftop gardens to set it apart from other mundane office buildings. It is built over an existing underground parking garage and it rises above the complex to offer vast views of the surrounding countryside. The double skin design by Hoz Fontán Arquitectos[3] keeps things cool, dampening the intense Mediterranean sun and scooping up prevailing breezes.

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A parking garage was built below ground level with the anticipation that a building would be erected above it. The new tower starts with an elliptical two-story entrance that wraps around the existing development. Eight stories up there is a rectangle wrapped in an outer layer[5] of semi-translucent glazing. The façade opens to allow the clear glass behind access to views of the French and Spanish countryside[6]. Other small windows open to allow natural ventilation[7]. Cooling is the biggest energy cost in a building, so the double façade will do wonders at letting in light[8] and air without resorting to AC.

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The top of the high-rise features double-height meeting spaces and offices privy to two small open-air gardens. View corridors are kept intact throughout with glass walls. The indoor views to the light-filled gardens emphasize connectivity to nature and provide an urban retreat[10] right at hand.